Concern children not exercising enough

There is concern Broken Hill school children are not getting enough exercise.

Morgan Street Public School principal Chris Dougherty has taught in the far west for decades.

He says local schools have dropped the traditional weekly sports carnival, opting for less regular sports days instead.

Mr Dougherty says things have changed a lot while he has been in Broken Hill.

"When I was working at Railwaytown school in the early 1990s, when I'd leave the school on my bike, there were always heaps of kids in the street, or at the West Football Club having a kick or a throw, or whatever," Mr Dougherty said.

"By the end of the 1990s, by 2000, there was hardly a kid in the street. Now that may be a safety issue or a child protection issue, but I think it's that little bit of an inactivity issue as well."

NSW Minister for Education Adrian Piccoli says sport is a high priority for the state's schools.

"I think the general public has a view that health and fitness is very important, particularly with some of the chronic obesity problems that we have in Australia, a growing problem, I think everybody wants to focus on fitness and health, particularly at schools," Mr Piccoli said.